[3] The two routes run concurrently into Tilden, where SH 72 resumes its eastward path, passing south of Choke Canyon Reservoir and State Park before entering Live Oak County.

[6][7] The highway passes through Yorktown along that city's Main Street, intersecting SH 119.

On June 23, 1942, the section from Fowlerton to Three Rivers was either cancelled or transferred to Farm to Market Road 63.

On December 15, 1960, the section from Fowlerton to Three Rivers was transferred back to SH 72, replacing FM 63.

The section from the junction with US 87 in Cuero into the city was designated Farm to Market Road 3402 in 1977; this route was extended to the west to US 87 in 1983.

As a result, TxDOT is considering the addition of shoulders to SH 72 in western DeWitt County.

[20] The route was designated as Spur 542 on April 20, 1982, when SH 72 was rerouted to use Main Street.